Games We Play
by redsneakers
Summary: Previous title: The Question. Intended to be a one shot, but now it's a WIP, with only one more chapter left. Summary update: Kate can run, but she cannot hide.
1. The Dare

**Disclaimer: Not mine. They belong to CBS, which at the moment I hate with all my heart. **

**A/N: I have never written a 'light' fic before because I don't know how to write a less serious story, so this is my first story that doesn't include sappiness or angst. This is also a semi-AU fic: I mention Ziva in this story. Don't worry; I don't write catfight, either. :D **

**I wrote this to lighten my mood a bit because I'm currently writing a very dark-themed story. This is unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine and mine only. Pardon all typos and grammatical errors; English is not my first language. I try my best to minimize the errors and I hope I don't make you frown with my mistakes. **

**Thank you for all your reviews and favourites on my last Kibbs story. I really appreciate them.**

**Anyway, Auraya-of-the-White, this is my 'welcome home' present for you. I know I should've written something with the characters you love, but you know that I can be very selfish sometimes. I hope you still enjoy it, darling. *hugs***

**Shutting up now, and on to the fics...**

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"Do you want to sleep with me, Gibbs?"

Everyone turned their heads at the brunette woman sitting at a long table in the middle of the room upon hearing the straightforward question. They were all working on a murder case and that kind of questions was not exactly the type of questions people would ask at work – Not that it was expected to come from someone like Kate Todd, either.

Kate fixed her gaze at the older man in front of her, completely oblivious to the fact that her other co-workers were looking at her in total shock. They glanced at their boss and waited for the gruff agent to respond. Tony elbowed Abby and Ziva, who elbowed him back, and they signalled McGee to have this recorded.

Gibbs stopped scribbling immediately; his hand holding the pencil stopped midair. He glanced upwards without lifting his head and he frowned at the question. There was an awkward moment of silence as he and Kate gazed at each other as if there was no other person around. Tilting his head to the side, Gibbs finally spoke up, "Where did that come from?" His voice was calm; there was no sign of irritation of being asked such an absurd – and not to mention rather inappropriate – question. On the other hand, and to everyone's surprise, Gibbs looked slightly amused with Kate's question. The blue-eyed man didn't even have to look around to know that every pair of eyes in the lab was on them.

"Well, do you want to?" Kate repeated her question and posed another, "Do you think I'm attractive?"

This time, Abby and Ziva could no longer suppress a huge grin. Tony's jaw dropped at the question; even McGee had neglected his work – he was concentrating on getting the angle of the camera and the microphone right. This was going to be too fun to miss.

"I don't think the questions are case-related," Gibbs pointed out coolly. He didn't break the eye contact with the younger woman when he addressed his other subordinates, "Turn that camera off and get back to work, four of you!"

There were mumbles of 'yes, Boss' and 'yes, Gibbs' and noisy sound of paper being turned right after Gibbs barked his order. McGee, though, made sure that the camera kept rolling.

"Are you going to answer them?" Kate pressed, not backing down even though, judging from the clenching of Gibbs' jaw, she knew that Gibbs began to feel annoyed at the pointless questions.

Yes, Gibbs started to feel upset. He cursed inwardly. He didn't want to talk about this – not here while they were working on a case, and definitely not ever. He never thought of Kate – as well as all his subordinates – as something else other than a good agent. To be honest, he never allowed himself to think of Kate as a woman.

"I don't know, Agent Todd. Are you going to answer my question?" he retorted.

"I'm just curious," she answered truthfully. "Now, can you please answer my question?"

"Are you going anywhere with this?" His voice was a pitch higher now. Gibbs slammed the pencil he had been holding the whole time – he didn't remember he had had it in his hand. "Need I remind you that we are on a case?"

Kate bit back a snappy answer when she saw the first glint of anger in Gibbs' eyes. She lowered her gaze and started to collect her paper and files. She smiled apologetically at Gibbs, not willing to hear him preach him about his 'no apology' rule, and left the lab to find another place to work.

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Just as she entered the elevator, she heard footsteps behind her. She reached for the close button and pressed it multiple times, as if by doing so the door would close faster. Kate swore under her breaths when the door didn't close fast enough to create a barricade between her and the person following her.

Gibbs slid into the elevator right before it completely closed. Kate groaned. She should have known better than to expect a man like Gibbs to let her go easily after asking those questions. Now she wished she had kept her wretched mouth shut.

The man gave Kate his usual smirk and pressed the stop button. The elevator stopped in a sudden jerk; Kate was grateful she didn't lose her balance – it would be downright embarrassing. She bowed her head down, letting some strands of her hair fell and made a curtain around her face. She glanced sideways to where Gibbs was standing with his hands folded in front of his chest. The man was looking at her with the same lopsided smirk he had been wearing on his face.

"Are you running from me, Kate?" he asked her mockingly.

Kate raised her head and glared at her boss. She said nothing at first but then she realized that keeping her silence would be foolish, and trying to beat Gibbs in a silent contest would be a futile attempt.

"I'm not running from you, Gibbs. You didn't want to answer my question so I left," she replied lightly. "Why are you following me?"

"Why did you leave the lab?" Gibbs pushed.

"Why didn't you answer my question?"

"That's irrelevant to the case!"

"You following me here _is_ irrelevant to the case!" Kate said.

Gibbs sighed. "You tell me why you asked me those questions and I tell you why I followed you here," he offered.

Kate blinked in disbelief. Special Agent Gibbs bargained with her? That was unusual. But Kate was willing to press her luck. "_You _tell _me_, and _I_ will tell _you_."

"Katie!" Gibbs growled in aggravation.

The brunette blushed on hearing Gibbs called her with her pet name. Her shoulder sagged with defeat and she cussed inside as her mind wandered to the fateful night before...

"_Truth or dare?" Ziva asked her brunette friend. They were having another girls' night out with McGee as a plus one. Both Kate and Ziva had stopped trying to understand why Abby always included McGee on their girls' night out. _

_Kate put down her wine glass and shook her head. "No, nu-uh, I'm not playing," she refused, earning groans from Abby and McGee. "What? I'm _not_ playing!"_

"_Don't be such a killjoy, Kate," Abby said. "You are in it. You suggested the last 'truth' question for Tim!"_

"_Well I didn't actually _ask_ the question myself," the brunette remarked defensively. "There's a difference between 'suggesting' and 'actually posing' a question."_

"_Oh, don't give me that political answer stuff," Abby grumbled. _

_McGee asserted, "Kate, it was your idea to get Ziva to be more acquainted to American culture. Playing American games is going to help her understand the culture." Kate gave him a look. "Of course, there are several other things that will be able to help her fathom it."_

"_No thank you for your help, Tim!" Abby said sulkily, pushing his shoulder with her fist."Come on, Kate, just this once," the raven-haired woman pleaded and looked at Kate with her best sad-puppy expression._

"_No. Do you think I have forgotten the stunt you guys had me pull on 'Simon Says'?"_

_The three friends grinned at the mention of the game. They had played the game at the office a couple of days before. Everything was fun and game until Abby decided to 'spike' the game by adding Spin the Bottle to it. She spun and the tip of the pen – they didn't have bottles – landed on Kate. 'Simon' told Kate to go to Gibbs' desk, took his coffee out of his hand, winked at the boss, and drank the coffee. It didn't go well for Kate._

_Ziva raised her right hand. "I promised there will be no more stunts on Gibbs' coffee," she vowed. McGee and Abby repeated the vow solemnly. "Are you playing now?"_

"_Oh, okay! Dare." Kate finally gave in. And that... was her mistake._

...

"It was a dare," she finally admitted, although her colleagues had made it specific in the dare that she weren't allowed to say anything about it. Kate stole a glance and saw Gibbs' puzzled look. She elaborated, "The dare was to ask the question either to you or Tony."

Gibbs' eyes twinkled with glee but the older man managed to keep a straight face. "_A dare_?" He repeated disbelievingly. He never thought Kate as a woman who would do something silly, but he was proven wrong. "And drinking my coffee was a dare, too, I presume?"

A blush crept to Kate's cheeks. "No, it was Simon Says," she mumbled embarrassedly.

"Exactly what do you ladies do on your free time?" Gibbs posed rhetorically. "So why didn't you ask Tony?" Kate's head whipped upwards and she looked at Gibbs with a do-you-really-have-to-ask look. He grinned at her but somehow he was relieved that Kate had chosen him over the younger agent. They stood in silence for some time and after a while he could sense that Kate began to fidget. As he opened his mouth to call her name, Kate broke the silence.

"I answered your question. Can... -can we go back to work now?" she asked in a teeny tiny voice. She made a mental note never to participate in any games her peers would play in the future.

Gibbs nodded. "Sure," he said. He pressed the emergency button and the metal box started moving up. When they reached their floor, Gibbs pushed the open button. The door slid open with a gentle swish. He kept his hand on the button as Kate exited the elevator.

"Kate?" he called out softly.

The brunette turned her head towards him; her expression was a mixture between confusion and discomfiture.

"You haven't gotten your answers yet," he reminded the woman. Kate's mouth formed a silent 'o'. Gibbs pushed the close button, and as the door closed, he said to her very tenderly, "Yes. Yes, I do, and yes, you are." And the door was back in place.

Gibbs didn't see Kate's jaw dropped as his words sank in. He didn't know how Kate's face turned bright red when she dizzily made her way back to her cubicle. He didn't witness Kate covering her mouth to stop herself from giggling. The senior agent was too busy grinning and chuckling by himself inside the moving cart. He looked up and glared at the security camera installed in the elevator just right before the door opened as it reached the right level. "If this goes to the internet, McGee, you're fired," he warned casually and left.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the ride **


	2. The Chase

**a/n: I finally succeeded in kicking my lazy behind to work and write a sequel to this. Thanks for all your comments and faves and alerts. They mean a lot to me :D Apparently, it is longer than I expected, so I'm going to add another (and final) chapter later. I just have to bribe my muse to stay longer.**

**a/n 2: this is somewhat an AU, so please don't kill me if there are some OOC-ness. And this is un-betaed and I didn't even reread it so all mistakes are mine and mine only. I hope you enjoy it.**

**a/n 3: Pealee, I hope I don't disappoint you :)**

**Disclaimer: see chap 1.**

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Kate lay down on the grass, staring at the sky and watching the endless blue above her. She could feel the coolness of the breeze sweeping her face and the warmth of the sun touching her skin as she breathed in. It was fresh out there in the field; fresh and so spacious. Kate enjoyed being by herself in such open space, knowing that there was no one in miles and miles away.

The brunette had been spending the last five days at her parents' ranch. At first she dreaded coming home, fearing that her family would nag and ask questions. She had even thought of contacting her sister in Miami before finally deciding to go to Indiana. She ensured herself that she'd rather deal with her parents and brother than deal with one Margaret Todd-Preston. And she had made the right decision. Her family didn't ask many questions. They simply welcomed her and told her that she could stay as long as she liked. The only direct questions she got were if she was okay and if she was going to stay long, because they had missed her a lot.

She smiled at the thought of staying long in the ranch. She used to – and still – love the place so much. She used to take pleasure in working the ranch with her father and brothers from the crack of dawn until dusk greeted them. And she had returned to her old routine on the second day, much to her father's delight. Brandon Todd didn't go easy on Kate even though he knew that Kate wasn't used to do any farm work anymore. He laughed when his daughter limped on her way back to the house after a long day at work. Kate didn't mind the treatment a bit; she needed it to distract her mind from things.

She closed her eyes and groaned as her mind began to wander to the very thing she wanted to avoid. The office. Gibbs. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head, hoping to shake the thought away. She wished her mother hadn't scolded her father for making her work hard during her vacation the night before. So he told her to take the day off and ride her horse somewhere. And here she was, in the middle of nowhere, thinking about the reason she took the vacation.

_Flashback:_

_Thirteen day had passed since the small and rather interesting incident between Kate and Gibbs in the elevator. Everything had gone back to normal, or as normal as it could get when two members of your team didn't talk to each other literally._

_Kate hadn't had any intention of bringing up the unfinished conversation; she knew that there would be no use in it, unless Gibbs brought it up first. So she acted as if nothing had happened. Gibbs didn't brought it up, just like Kate's guess. He treated Kate professionally and he kept his interactions with her to the minimum. _

_Kate didn't want to admit it, but the coldness and the distance Gibbs had created between them hurt her. She never expected anything from the older man other than his acting normally. To confront him about this would be a vain attempt, too, Kate knew. He would deny that he treated her differently. Therefore Kate kept her quiet. She remained polite to him – he was still her boss, after all – and she dropped the small talks after a few fruitless efforts._

_The lack of communications drove everyone crazy. Yes, it had been fun watching how the two danced around each other uncomfortably for the first couple of days. It had been a thrill to be able to tease Kate senseless, knowing that she couldn't snap back or look for her usual back up – Gibbs. The fun flew away after another couple of days with no sign of Gibbs getting back to normal. All the teasing subsided significantly and by the end of the sixth day Tony was the only person who still did the occasional tease._

_Everybody felt guilty. That was for sure. And one by one, in their own way, they apologized to Kate. McGee had been the first one to say the exact word 'sorry' and Kate kissed him on the cheek as a thank you. Ziva and Abby expressed their regrets by showering Kate with gifts of snacks she liked; Ziva even made an effort to bake something for her friend – the brownies burnt, but at least Kate laughed, and that was the important thing. Tony, being Tony, made amends by trying to be very nice and supportive in every way possible. He limited his movie references in front of Kate, and he tried his best not to say things he thought Kate would consider as disrespectful to women. He slipped numerous of times, of course, but they made Kate smile, too._

_Kate didn't know when she started to feel uncomfortable and crowded by her peers. Gibbs being a bastard – _that_ she could handle. But being pampered on the job? No, Kate couldn't take that. By the end of the thirteenth day, she couldn't take it anymore._

_She approached Gibbs' cubicle before heading home. He didn't look up to see her, but she knew that he noticed her from the tightening of his jaw. "Gibbs," she called his name softly, urging him to look up. When he only raised his eyebrows as a reply, Kate continued, "I'm going to take a two-week off."_

_Her words grabbed Gibbs attention. He whipped his head upwards and frowned at her. "What?"_

"_I'm taking a leave," Kate repeated. She looked right into the blue eyes in front of her. "I haven't taken any vacation for a while now. We just wrapped up a case. Think I can use a break," she explained with a weak smile._

"_Two weeks?" Kate nodded. "Are you on call?"_

"_No, I'm not."_

"_What if there's a new case?"_

_Kate shook her head in disbelief. "Gibbs, you have Tony, Tim, and Ziva. You don't need me," she pointed out. They stared at each other for a full minute without saying a word. Gibbs broke the contact, tilting his head to the side to glare at the three agents who were watching them from their respective cubicles._

"_Gibbs," Kate called out, turning his attention back to her._

"_Two weeks," Gibbs acknowledged, dismissing her with a wave of his hand._

_Kate left the office feeling worse than before. She didn't understand why Gibbs was so upset with it. It wasn't like he was treating her well, anyway._

_..._

Kate sighed and rolled to her side. She needed distractions. Maybe she should go back to the house and ask if she could help with anything. She opened her eyes and blinked several times to get her eyes back into focus. When she saw someone walking towards her, Kate immediately sat up and buttoned up her shirt over her tanks. Her father had to send someone to call her for lunch. She used her hand as a shade so she could take a better look on the person approaching. _I'm hallucinating!_ She groaned inwardly as she saw who it was.

Gibbs had spent the last one hour walking around the ranch and the prairie looking for Kate. Kate's father had offered him a horse, but he declined politely and said he'd rather walk. He could see the curious looks Kate's family and workmen throw him when he arrived at the ranch asking for her, but he ignored it.

He couldn't put his finger on why he decided to fly all the way to Indiana. Perhaps it was the angry look Abby kept throwing him after Kate left, or maybe it was the empty seat next to his cubicle that nagged him to finally decide to take the weekend off and book the first flight available to Indiana.

Kate stood up and waited until Gibbs reached her. The man was wearing casual clothes; his shirt was left un-tucked. His face was red and sweaty from the bright sun and his silvery hair was damp.

He took off his shades and smirked at Kate. "Kate," he greeted. Gibbs wiped off the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "Whew, that was quite a walk."

"Yeah, I– I rode my horse," she stated in confusion instead of asking what Gibbs was doing there. She was too stunned to ask.

Gibbs looked amused. "I know; I saw," he told her, nodding at the four-legged creature enjoying its meal just a couple of feet away. He looked down and caught Kate staring at him bewilderedly. "It's beautiful out here. Is this still your family's land? How big is your place?"

"Gibbs, how did you get here?" Kate finally asked.

"I walked," he replied matter-of-factly. "Did you bring water? I left mine at your house."

Kate shook her head. "I _know_ you walked; I saw," she sassed. "I mean, what are you doing here? _Here_, as in Indiana?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I took the weekend off," he responded as if it was obvious. "Kate, I really need some water."

The younger woman let out an audible sigh. She whistled at the stallion, which trotted towards her immediately. "Come on, let's get back home," she invited Gibbs. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Kate kept glancing at her boss, who seemed to be fascinated by the view of the field and not paying attention to her at all. "Are you tired, Gibbs?" she asked softly, causing Gibbs to turn his head at her.

"No. Why'd you ask?"

"You're sweating," she pointed out.

"So are you," he countered.

"It's almost noon, of course I'm sweating. And I didn't just walk 4.5 miles in the middle of nowhere without water. Didn't my dad offer you a horse?"

"He did. I said I wanted to walk," he remarked.

Kate scoffed. It was so Gibbs to do such stupid thing. "That was stupid, Gibbs," she snapped at her boss. They were not at work now and Kate was upset. What was he thinking? What if he hadn't found Kate? What if Kate had ridden farther into the woods? Gibbs could be lost in the prairie for hours in this heat without water supply! And who knew when anyone would notice that someone, _Kate_'s guest, was missing? Gibbs was truly a stubborn bastard.

"You really associate that word with me, don't you?" Gibbs posed, not hiding his laughter. Kate shot him with a look, puzzled. "Bastard?" he elaborated.

A blush crept on Kate's already flushed cheek as she realized that she had called Gibbs 'a bastard' right to his face, out loud. "Oh my... Gibbs, I'm so– I didn't mean it!" she exclaimed guiltily.

Gibbs threw back his head and laughed a hearty laugh. Without thinking, he lifted his arm and put it around Kate's shoulder, squeezing it, and let go.

She cocked her head and glanced at the older man. Gibbs rarely laughed. Yes, he did smile sometimes, but his laugh was almost never heard. She smiled as she observed appreciatively how the harsh lines on his face softened when he laughed. "You don't laugh often," she commented absent-mindedly. Gibbs stopped laughing and looked at her with still a hint of laughter in his blue eyes and Kate mentally kicked herself for not shutting her mouth.

"I don't often have enough reasons to laugh," he admitted. Somehow thinking that the subject would turn into a rather intimate one, he switched topic. "How good is your horse?"

"Spinach here is one of the strongest," Kate announced proudly.

"Spinach?" Gibbs repeated disbelievingly. "_That_ his name?"

Kate glared at him. "It's Spin. My nephew calls him Spinach and it kind of sticks," she didn't know why she even tried to explain.

Gibbs nodded. He took the reins off her hand and mounted the horse. He bowed his head and offered his hand to Kate. "Come on, ride with me," he said. Kate hesitated. "I'm tired. This is faster," he clarified. Kate took his hand and in one swift move, Gibbs pulled Kate up. He shifted to make room for her on the saddle and waited until she was comfortable before circling his arms around her small frame.

Kate's body was rigid when Gibbs' arms brushed against hers and she sat up straight in her attempt to create a space – which was almost impossible, given that they were _on_ a horse _sharing_ a saddle. She soon lost the battle of keeping her erect pose, though, as Gibbs' scent and warmth intoxicated her senses, overwhelming her. Soon she felt herself relax and lean in to Gibbs' chest.

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**a/n: Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't bore you with the details and technicalities. I promise you more touch on the emotional side on the next chapter.**


	3. The Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

**A/N: I seriously have no idea why I wrote this. No, seriously, it wasn't supposed to be written this way. My muses are crazy sometimes. Sorry about that.**

**This chapter is, again, un-beta'ed since my lovely beta is really busy at the moment and asking her to beta for me will be very inconsiderate. All mistakes – from silly grammatical and spelling mistakes to major, most annoying ones – are mine. I would really appreciate it, though, if you are willing to point my mistakes for me. Thank you.**

**Pardon any OOC-ness (I think you'll find some); I'm really not good at this.**

**And yes, I will let you read now. **

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"Enjoying yourself?"

Kate Todd turned around and looked up. Her boss was leaning on the doorframe with his usual smug look, one of his hands holding a big mug.

"Hiding from me?" Gibbs asked lightly. He stepped out to the porch and sat next to Kate.

The woman rolled her eyes and nodded at the crowd of people in her house. "More like hiding from the crowd," she said, "my family and their friends are tiring as a group."

"Ah," Gibbs responded, "I get it. If it makes you feel better, my father is tiring even _without_ a group."

Kate couldn't hide the surprise in her voice when she said, "I didn't know you have a father." Even before she finished the sentence, Kate had felt a blush creeping on her cheeks. She was really grateful that it was quite dark where they were sitting.

"What, Kate? You think I just popped up in this world, all grown up and irritable?" Gibbs cocked his head to Kate's direction. He couldn't see her face clearly but he would bet that Kate was blushing.

"It's not what I meant," Kate tried to explain – and failed miserably as Gibbs stared at her, clearly amused, "You never talked about your father!"

"You never talked about this place," the former marine countered, waving his free hand to the land before them to emphasize.

The former secret service agent shrugged. "It was never brought up," she made an excuse.

"And there you have your answer." Gibbs raised his mug and took a sip.

"Gibbs!" Kate stomped her feet in frustration.

Now Gibbs couldn't stop himself from laughing. Kate was acting like a sullen child and Gibbs thought it was kind of cute – although there was no chance in hell would he ever admit it out loud. As the laughter died away, the two fell into comfortable silence – busy with their own thoughts.

Kate kept stealing glances at the former marine and thought about how peaceful he looked while gazing at the stars. She didn't remember ever seeing him like this. Somehow she felt so close to him, yet in a way, she felt so distant at the same time. There were questions in her head – all began with 'why'. She wasn't sure that she had enough courage to ask Gibbs all those questions; she wasn't sure that she would like the answers, either – that was, if Gibbs ever answered. That very moment she had a flash of their conversation about him wanting to sleep with Kate. Kate shuddered.

It was Gibbs who first broke the silence. "You cold?" he asked; he noticed that the brunette was only wearing a thin black tank top and knee-length jeans.

Kate rested her head on her knee, facing Gibbs. "Are you offering your shirt?" she asked back. She was just closing her eyes when she felt a sheet of fabric around her bare shoulders. Kate's eyes snapped back open. Gibbs had taken off his shirt and was now only wearing his undershirt. She ran her fingers through the lining of the shirt, inhaling Gibbs' aroma on the shirt. "I was just kidding, Gibbs," she mumbled.

The man didn't look at her. "I know," he replied in earnest.

Kate shifted uncomfortably; she never saw this side of Gibbs before, so open, so–.. caring. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but she could positively say that she did not dislike it.

"Want my drink, too?" Gibbs offered – a hint of mirth in his tone.

"I like my coffee with sweetener and cream," Kate declined politely.

"It's not coffee."

"I prefer my tea sweet and warm."

"Good," Gibbs stated. Again, to Kate's surprise, the older man took her hand in his bigger one and placed the mug on her hand. "Cause the tea is sweet," he added casually. He nodded at the tea. "Drink up, Katie."

Kate tasted the beverage. It was perfect. She smiled gratefully at the man and felt something warm that wasn't tea filled her heart as Gibbs' blue eyes met her dark brown ones. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Kate broke the eye contact.

"Gibbs, why are you really here?" Kate mustered up the courage to ask. She wasn't looking at Gibbs. There was a moment of stillness then Kate raised her head and gazed at Gibbs. "And you know I didn't mean here as in _here _outside of my house."

"No reasons," answered Gibbs. And it was the truth – Gibbs didn't have any reasons why he decided to go to Indiana; or at least he couldn't find a reasonable enough ground to offer to Kate.

"I thought we were supposed to be specific when we lied," Kate reminded him sarcastically.

"Yes, but I don't lie so I don't need to be specific," Gibbs retaliated.

"You are such a bully."

"I thought we agreed that I'm a bastard."

Kate glared at her boss. "Then add 'bully' on that bastard list!"

Gibbs's eyes twinkled; he was enjoying this. "Yes, capt'n."

Before Kate could respond to that, she was interrupted by the voices of two people approaching the front porch. Kate glanced at the door. It was her mother and a distant relative Kate hardly knew of. The brunette was immediately on her feet. She reached out to grab Gibbs' hand and drag the man with her to a spot where they couldn't be seen. Kate put a finger on her lips, telling Gibbs to be quiet.

They waited until they saw the guest leaving with her car and heard the footsteps moving back into the house.

And that was when Kate realized the proximity of her and Gibbs. She was sandwiched between Gibbs and the wall behind her. They were standing so close with each other that Kate could smell his soap, as well as feel his breath on her hair; their hands was still interlaced with each other. Slowly, she raised her head – and she wished she hadn't.

Blue eyes were gazing at her with such intensity that left Kate breathless. The azure orbs left her eyes, lowering their gaze so slowly as if caressing Kate's skin. Subconsciously, the brunette licked her lips; her mouth felt like the Sahara desert. And that was where Gibbs' eyes stopped – on her lips.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a man of control; he rarely let his heart rule over his head. This, this was one of those rare occasions. For a reason he didn't understand, he couldn't seem to have the strength to draw himself away from Kate. _She is your subordinate!_ He reminded himself firmly – to no avail. It was as if his body had a mind of its own. He lost control of his body as he lowered his head little by little, closing his distance with Kate. Her ragged breathing was loud in his ears.

Kate could have sworn she saw a glint of uncertainty on Gibbs' eyes for a split second before the usually bright blue orbs darkened with passion. She closed her eyes and looked away – every cell in her body screaming in protest as Gibbs' lips landed on her cheek.

He was surprised when the younger woman looked away. On the one hand, he was relieved; kissing Kate would be a stupid thing to do, it was unprofessional and uncalled for. It would over complicate their relationship at work. On the other hand, though, Gibbs felt rejected and the feeling was so strong that he had to grit his teeth so as to not growl in frustration. He was hurt.

Gibbs stepped back, distancing himself from Kate. He stared at her icily, not knowing what to say.

"Gibbs," Kate started weakly.

"Why?"

The one word, even though said without anger or sadness, was enough to let Kate know how much she had hurt his feelings.

"Because you'd regret it, Gibbs," Kate answered. His flinch didn't go unnoticed. "Tell me otherwise," she dared him.

"I..." Gibbs began, "I can't." He shook his head in defeat.

Kate hung her head low dejectedly. "Then I'm glad we didn't kiss," she hissed, her heart was crushed with every word said.

"You didn't mean that," he said, taking a hesitant step forward.

Kate whipped her head up, glowering at the man that was her boss. "Don't you dare tell me what I meant or didn't mean!" she growled. A tear escaped her eyes. "What on earth are you doing here, Gibbs? Why did you even come?"

Gibbs flailed his arms. "I don't know," he admitted. He ran his hand through his silvery hair in frustration, "I honestly don't know."

The brunette nodded. She didn't need to hear any more explanation because she knew that Gibbs wouldn't let out anything he didn't want to share. "Your plane's leaving at seven tomorrow? I'll make sure one of my father's men is available to take you to the airport." With that, she ended their pointless conversation and left.

The senior agent didn't stop her, nor did he chase her. It was useless to try to talk to Kate now when she was really angry. He stared helplessly at the house, feeling so stupid. _What was I thinking_, he thought, mentally smacking his head. It wasn't the first time he regretted his spur-of-the-moment decision of coming to Indiana, yet this time was the worst.

...

Kate tossed and turned in her bed that night. Most of her anger had dissipated the moment she entered her room and screamed through her pillow. Kate didn't cry a bit, except for the lone tear that had betrayed her earlier.

The gears in her brain wouldn't stop working that they kept her awake. So she lay there in the darkness of her room, waiting for sleep to greet her – although it seemed that sleep didn't want to befriend her that night.

She glanced at the clock on her wall; it was past midnight. No sign of Gibbs entering his room yet – Kate's mother had arranged for Gibbs to stay in the guest room next to Kate's – and she was beginning to worry.

She wondered where the man was, and if she had been too harsh to him earlier. Still, she refused to admit that it was entirely her fault. It was Gibbs who had come all the way here to Indiana and turned her vacation upside down. It was Gibbs who had treated her like he actually cared – like she was something special. If anyone was to blame, it was Gibbs.

The brunette contemplated whether she should look for Gibbs for a couple of seconds before making a decision. Getting up from bed, Kate realized that she was still wearing Gibbs' shirt. She took the shirt off and put on a warmer coat. She didn't leave the shirt behind, though, just in case Gibbs needed it – the man was out only in his undershirt.

As she slowly made her way downstairs, she noticed that there was still light in the kitchen. Kate was hoping that it was Gibbs; she was disappointed when she saw her father at the counter, drinking tea.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, smiling at his daughter.

"I was just... I thought you were Gibbs," Kate replied.

Brandon motioned her to come closer. He knew something was bothering Kate. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you, Caitlin?"

"I know." It was true. She was closer with her father than she was with her mother. "I have nothing to tell."

He nodded. "He's in the stable," he told her. Brandon didn't even have to mention a name. "He looked like something the dog chewed when I saw him couple of hours ago. What did you do?"

"More like what _he_ did," Kate grumbled. He looked at Brandon's eyes – the dark eyes were looking back at her without any judgements. "I don't understand him," she admitted, "He isn't like you."

Brandon Todd chuckled at this comment. "Of course he isn't, honey. He is not me," he stated the obvious.

"You're from the same generation," Kate insisted, "Well – sort of."

"If you're insinuating that your boyfriend is old enough to be your father, Kate..." his words were cut off by Kate's protest.

"Gibbs is _not_ my boyfriend!" She glared at him, "He is my boss. I thought I have made it clear."

He gave her his you-must-be-blind pat on the shoulder and ushered her to the door. Brandon kissed his daughter's cheek. "Whatever you are, it's already late. Go talk to him and sort your problem before I drag you both to the living room for a family hearing," he said, half pushing Kate out of the kitchen.

...

Gibbs was sitting on a bale of hay, looking gruff and miserable, when Kate opened the stable door. He took a quick glance and his frown deepened when he saw who it was.

"What now?" he asked grumpily. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation. In fact, Gibbs rather expected Kate to not talk about this at all.

"I'm worried," Kate blurted out before she could come up with another less-needy explanation.

The older man scoffed, "There's nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Doesn't change the fact that I'm worried," she said, not backing off.

"I've been in worse condition."

"Not in _my_ watch," Kate countered. The anger that had dispersed before began to resurface.

"Your watch?" Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "_Your_ watch?" he repeated. "Who do you think you are, Kate?"

Kate felt as if Gibbs slapped her. She inhaled sharply, counting to ten before answering, "This is _my_ family's ranch and if anything goes wrong – if you're found dead somewhere around here, if we want to be blunt – then _I_ will be held responsible. So, no, Gibbs, this has nothing to do with who I think _I am_ to you. This is about _my_ family."

Even from a couple of feet away, Gibbs could see that Kate was trembling – either because of the cold air or out of anger. He secretly praised her for not breaking down and crying in front of him, but right now he was too angry to care.

"Fine," Gibbs spat out, "I'll go back to the house."

"Fine!" Kate turned around and stomped out of the stable.

She was only a step away from the door when Gibbs grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall. She let out a small gasp of pain, but he didn't loosen his grip.

They were staring at each other wordlessly until Kate couldn't take it anymore. Tears began to fill her dark brown eyes.

"You're hurting me!" she choked on her tears.

His clasp loosened a little but there was still no word of apology coming.

"You frustrate me," Gibbs growled in deep voice, "You and your stupid games with Ziva and Abby."

"It-.. It wasn't my idea," whispered Kate as a drop of hot liquid fell from her eye.

Gibbs raised his free hand to wipe Kate's tear but he drew back his hand when he felt Kate flinch under his touch. He let out a sigh. "What do you want from me, Caitlin Todd?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't understand," she trailed off.

He gazed at her and she could see no anger in his icy blue eyes – only profound sadness. Thoughts rushed into his mind and yet, he couldn't find a word to say to this woman. His heart was broken to see how much he had hurt her; how much he had made her confused.

"I just want to know why you're here." Kate's voice was thick with emotions. "Why? Don't you know that I left because I couldn't stand it anymore? I was so tired of you ignoring me at work for something that was not even my fault. Why are you here? What are you trying to prove, Gibbs? You want to see how messed up you've made me?"

All those words pouring from Kate's mouth was like a bomb dropped onto Gibbs' head. "I'm here because I missed you," he finally owned up, cringing as the words slid between his lips.

Kate was speechless. Gibbs? Missed her? Her as in _Kate _– her? But why? She didn't realize asking the last question out loud.

"Just because," Gibbs replied. He let go of his hold on the woman and distanced himself; he looked straight into her eyes. "Agent Todd, you are something else," he stated.

"If that was supposed to be a compliment, Gibbs, I don't get it," Kate spoke; she was still whispering but her tone was lighter than before.

Gibbs smirked. "Go back to the house, Kate. I'm fine," he told her. Kate didn't budge. "I'll be right after you," he assured.

"I'm not convinced."

"What? Would you rather I go back with you?"

Kate blushed at the suggestive tone Gibbs was using. She couldn't believe how that evening went – from light conversation to unresolved sexual tension to stupid argument and now back to sexual innuendos.

"You said you wanted to sleep with me." Kate's eyes widened – she couldn't believe her words. "I didn't just say that," she quickly added.

If Gibbs was surprised, he didn't show it. He chuckled. "What will your family say – you sleeping with a man old enough to be your father?"

"Somehow I have this feeling that they have had this idea that we're seeing each other."

"Is that an assumption?"

Kate shrugged. "My dad thought so," she informed him.

"And he has no objections?" Gibbs queried. He was really curious about Brandon Todd's reaction – because Gibbs was sure as hell would feel uncomfortable if _his_ daughter dated an older man.

"Told him you are my boss."

Gibbs' mouth formed an 'O' as a reaction – he was both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Come to bed, Gibbs. I'm exhausted," Kate openly invited him now, changing the subject.

The silver-haired man smiled. He took her hand in his and they walked side by side to the house.

"Oh, and by 'come to bed' – I mean you go to your bed and I go to my bed," Kate explained with a smile on her face.

"Don't I know that," he replied softly. Gibbs knew it was going to be awkward when Kate and he were back at work, but right now he didn't give a damn.

* * *

**A/N: So, I hope you enjoy the crazy ride. Any comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading. **

**Have a nice day.**


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